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MTC to run AC buses to Kancheepuram

TNSTC, Kancheepuram, will also be allowed to operate services to Broadway

KANCHEEPURAM: The Metropolitan Transport Corporation, Chennai, will operate two air-conditioned buses from its domain to Kancheepuram, according to Transport Minister K.N. Nehru.

Speaking at a function held here on Tuesday to mark induction of vestibule services in the fleet of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (Villupuram), Kancheepuram, he said that the MTC at present operated 30 air-conditioned bus services within its domain.

Out of these, two would soon be extended up to Kancheepuram for the benefit of pilgrims and tourists visiting the town.

Further, the TNSTC, Kancheepuram, would also be allowed to operate its services to Broadway in Chennai from Kancheepuram in one or two days. This would fulfil Labour Welfare Minister T.M. Anbarasan’s plea to allow TNSTC, Kancheepuram, to operate parallel services on the routes in which the MTC had already extended or introduced its services to different destinations in Kancheepuram district from Chennai.

Introduction of 1,800 new buses into the MTC fleet had resulted in steep increase in the daily passenger movement in Chennai.

Earlier, around 39 lakh people used to use the MTC services every day. It had increased by another 10 lakh. The frequency of service on major routes had also been reduced from 20 minutes to 3 minutes, Mr. Nehru said.

He also gave away best diesel consumption awards to 15 drivers and handed over promotion letters to four staff.

Later, talking to reporters on a recent statement of Union Minister of State for Railways that train charges were very low compared to bus charges, Mr. Nehru said it would be absurd to compare train fare with bus charges as the trains had not less than 25 to 30 coaches.

Further, the charges collected from train commuters to travel in 90 per cent of the coaches were much higher than remaining coaches attached in the same train.

While the charges for each km of travel by buses in Tamil Nadu had been capped at 28 paise in spite of the steep hike in fuel cost, neighbouring States had fixed it at 58 paise a km, he said.